US President Donald Trump has welcomed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, for crucial and unprecedented meetings including several European leaders on efforts to silence the guns in Ukraine.
This is Zelenskyys first visit since his heated exchange with Trump in the Oval Office in February. The two men smiled and shook hands as Zelenskyy emerged from his limousine.
The meeting follows a summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15, after which Trump suggested great progress was made to agreeing terms for peace, with the two leaders displaying friendly smiles and praising each other.
Western media have reported that Putin floated a peace deal that would involve Ukraine withdrawing from a large area of territory in the Donbas region.
This has raised alarm bells in Kyiv and European capitals, which fear a withdrawal from heavily fortified areas would leave Ukraine dangerously exposed to further Russian attacks.
It also appears that somesecurity guaranteesfor Ukraine were discussed in Alaska, but no clear details have emerged about them. Shortly before Zelenskyy arrived at the White House, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy will hold one-on-one talks with Trump before they are joined by leaders including NATO chief Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
"We have never had so many European Leaders here at one time. A great honor for America!!" Trump wrote on social media before the meeting.
Zelenskyy announced his visit on August 16, and the European leaders quickly cleared their diaries to join the talks, as diplomacy on ending the continents biggest conflict since World War II appeared to be entering a crucial phase.
Weve got to get this right, said Britains Keir Starmer en route across the Atlantic.
Meloni said there was a glimmer of hope for peace.
"President Trump invited Ukraine and other European countries to Washington today -- this is the first meeting in such a format, and it is very serious," Zelenskyy wrote onsocial mediaahead of the White House meeting, after talks in Washington with Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg.
"Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength," Zelenskyy wrote.
